My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy… – 2 Chronicles 8:11, Amplified Bible

In 2 Chronicles 6:13-42, Solomon prayed a powerful and humble prayer unto God at the dedication of the temple.  In his supplication, he outlined clearly God’s “Big Three Formulas” for life:

1. Obedience to God = God’s favor.
2. Disobedience to God = God’s punishment.
3. Repentance after disobedience = God’s forgiveness and restoration.

Without a doubt, Solomon had a lucid understanding of how God operates. Yet, in all of his wisdom he made a critical error that eventually led him down the path of idol worship.  The critical error?  Allowing influences into his life that he knew were not in line with God’s holy character.

The Bible states in 2 Chronicles 8:11 (AMP):

Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh out of the City of David into the house he had built for her, for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy to which the ark of the Lord has come.

Later in life, Solomon fell into idol worship (and so, as a result, did Israel), and his love for his many heathen wives was the driving force behind his fall. To please his wives, he followed their gods and turned his back on the God of his father, the God of his wisdom, and the God of his wealth. It is obvious from reading 2 Chronicles 8:11 that Solomon knew from the get-go that his heathen wives were unpleasing to God and a snare unto him. Yet his passion for such women overruled his loyalty to his God, and sin followed.

We are just like Solomon! We are well aware of God’s holiness, yet we allow things in our lives that are in direct conflict with His holiness. What words do we allow in our speech that contradicts His holiness? What movies and TV shows do we watch that contradict His command to put no evil thing before our eyes? What music do we listen to that we would never allow in church but we allow in our homes and cars? What beverages do we consume that we would never consume if Jesus were sitting at our dinner table? What clothes do we wear that bring attention to our nakedness rather than to a humble face that displays the Holy Spirit? What books do we read that incite the lusts that Paul admonishes us to flee from? What relationships do we allow in our lives that engender unholy living in us? We, like Solomon, regularly invite unholiness into our lives, and these sources of unholiness draw us away from God and push us into idol worship.

Inviting unholiness into our lives is foolishness, and we know it. Doing so attracts the wrath of our Holy God, bringing a righteous and rightly deserved spanking from our Heavenly Father. We can head that spanking off at the pass by no longer inviting unholiness into our hearts and, instead, by inviting God to return to the throne that we had given over to our idols.